(Dimensions)

Description

A Limited Edition print commemorating the 60th Anniversary of Operation Chastise - the famous Dambuster's raid , 16/17th May , 1943. No single raid during World War Two has attracted more discussion , analysis , features , books , interviews , or been the subject of more films , documentaries , and TV programmes than the famous attack mounted by the RAF's 617 Squadron upon the mighty hydroelectric dams in Westphalia , on the night of 16/17 May , 1943. Led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson , nineteen specially adapted Lancaster bombers , manned by 133 aircrew , culminated months of secret training when they made one of the most audacious raids of the war. Flying at tree-top height in darkness , and doing their best to avoid electricity pylons and other obstructions , they navigated their way deep into occupied territory. Their targets were the huge Mohne , Sorpe , Ennepe , and Eder Dams that powered Germany's huge industrial factories in the heartland of the Rhur. Each bomber had to avoid enemy flak and fighters en route , locate their target , descend to precisely 60 feet above the water then , in the face of a barrage of anti-aircraft fire , release their single unique 10,000 lb hydrostatic bomb at exactly the right moment. There was no margin for error , and there was no place for faint hearts. Eight of the crews that left RAF Scampton that night were never to return. Of the fifty-six aircrew on board only two survived. Though nearly half the skilled crews that made up 617 Squadron were lost , they recorded one of the most successful and daring air raids of the war- a costly endeavour , but one that has become legend in the annals of aerial warfare. Nicolas Trudgian's emotive painting Homeward Bound depicts Dave Shannon's Lancaster AJ-L , dodging the searchlights low over the Dutch landscape , as he returns from the Eder Dam following the part he and his crew played in the famous raid on that moonlight night in May , 1943. Each print in Nicolas Trudgian's Limited Edition , Homeward Bound , is signed by the Artist and 2 of the famous Dambuster aircrew who flew with Lancaster AJ-N : Sergeant Ray .E. Grayston and Flight Lieutenant Edward C. Johnson and an additional four Dambuster aircrew , Squadron Leader George L. Johnson DFM , Flight Sergeant Grant S McDonald RCAF , Flying Officer Dave Rodger and Sergeant Frederick E. Sutherland RCAF ...priced @ Sold...To complement the purchase of your fine art print, we are now able to offer a professional Picture Framing service. For further details please contact us by phone or email.